INTRODUCTION

•The Bhopal gas tragedy (commonly referred to as Bhopal disaster) was

a gas leak incident in India, considered one of the world's worst
industrial catastrophes.
•It occurred on the night of 2nd–3rd December 1984 at the Union
Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
•A leak of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas and other chemicals from the
plant resulted in the exposure of hundreds of thousands of people.
 THE AFFECTED AREA
• Around 1 a.m. on Monday, the 3rd of December, 1984, In the city of Bhopal,
Central India, a poisonous vapour burst from the tall stacks of the Union
Carbide pesticide plant.
• This vapour was a highly toxic cloud of methyl isocyanate.
• 2,000 died immediately
• 300,000 were injured
• 7,000 animals were injured, of which about one thousand were killed.
 Union Carbide India Limited fault
• UCIL was the Indian subsidiary of Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), with
Indian Government controlled banks and the Indian public holding a 49.1
percent stake started in 1969.
• Phosgene, Monomethlyamine, Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) and the pesticide
Carbaryl, also known as Sevin were started manufactured in 1979 in bhopal
plant.
• Following production continued ,ironically during the night of December 2–
3, 1984, water entered Tank E610 containing 40 tons of MIC.
• The resulting in exothermic reaction which increased the temperature
inside the tank to over 200 C(392 F) and raised the pressure. About 30
metric tons of methyl isocyanate (MIC) escaped from the tank into the
atmosphere, which got added to a weak wind which frequently changed
direction, which in turn helped the gas to cover more area in a shorter
period of time (about one hour).
• This weak wind and the weak vertical turbulence caused a slow dilution of
gas and thus allowed the poisonous gas to spread over considerable
distances.
 People Involved
• Seven men have been jailed over the 1984 Bhopal poison gas leak
which killed at least 15,000 people.
• India's Central Bureau of Investigation originally accused 12
defendants:
1. Eight senior Indian company officials;
2. Warren Anderson, the head of Union Carbide at the time of the gas leak & the
company itself and two subsidiarycompanies
 Description Of Victims
• Many victims who lost sight after a poison gas leak from a pesticide plant in
Bhopal, in front of the US Union Carbide factory Thousands of animals
perished in the disaster as well, poisoned by the huge gas leak.
• Thousands of people died Many of those who were exposed to the gas have
given birth to physically and mentally disabled children. For decades,
survivors have been fighting to have the site cleaned up, but they reported
the efforts were slowed when Michigan-based Dow Chemical took over
Union Carbide in 2001.